maandag 7 juni 2010

Hannah Swensen - Peach Cobbler Murder

This is the seventh book in the Hannah Swensen mystery series, and because of the ending, I will go on with the next one! That, is, tomorrow morning, now it is time for bed.

Peach Cobbler Murder

With The Cookie Jar, Hannah Swensen has a mouthwatering monopoly on the bakery business of Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when a rival store opens, tensions begin to bubble... As she sits in her nearly empty store on Groundhog Day, Hannah can only hope that spring is just around the corner--and that the popularity of the new Magnolia Blossom Bakery is just a passing fad. The southern hospitality of Lake Eden's two Georgia transplants, Shawna Lee and Vanessa Quinn, is grating on Hannah's nerves--and cutting into her profits. At least Hannah has her business partner Lisa's wedding to look forward to. She's turned one of Lisa's favorite childhood treats into a spectacular Wedding Cookie Cake. And Lisa's aunt will be bringing her famous Peach Cobbler to the reception. But Hannah starts to steam when she finds out that Shawna Lee has been invited--and is bringing her own Peach Cobbler. Hannah doesn't like having the Georgia Peach in the mix, especially when both Shawna Lee and Hannah's sometime-boyfriend, Detective Mike Kingston, are no-shows to the wedding. Hannah has suspected that Mike is interested in more than Shawna Lee's baking abilities. So when she sees lights on at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery after the reception, she investigates--and finds Shawna Lee shot to death. Everyone in town knew the Cookie Jar was losing business to the Magnolia Bakery--a fact that puts Hannah at the top of the initial list of suspects. But with a little help from her friends, Hannah's determined to prove that she wasn't the only one who had an axe to grind with the Quinn sisters. Somebody wasn't fooled by the Georgia Peaches and their sweet-as-pie act--and now it's up to Hannah to track down whoever had the right ingredients to whip up a murder…



This one really kept me captivated. The woman who is after one of her two boyfriends, has started an other cookie shop, just across the street. Most of her customers desert her, because Shawna Lee is giving away most of the goodies, and she and her sister are flirting madly with all the men, showing off their figures. But Mike’s “socializing” really hurts her feelings. And then to think, they didn’t even baker their own cookies, or even their famous Southern Peach Cobler! Everything was bought frozen, and just defrosted.

Then, during Lisa and Herb’s wedding, Shawna Lee gets killed, and there are suspects galore. Almost every woman in town wished her gone. So, checking suspects, and crossing them off their lists, leaves the Swensen sisters clueless. Then their mother calls, almost in a panic. Why has her new boyfriend a picture of Shawna Lee in his underwear drawer? But then they discover it is not Shawna Lee in the picture, but Vanessa. And Hannah gets the strange idea, can someone has mistaken one sister for the other? They really did look a lot alike.

And in the end, when Hannah is almost murdered herself, her mother saves her, and they nail an escaped criminal in the act. After an icy car chase, Hannah finds herself the owner of everything in her competitors store and apartment for a bargainprice. So something good comes from all the grief they caused her, and with it, a good mystery is solved.

But the ending of the book, wow. Two proposals to marriage in 5 minutes. Who will she choose? But some one told me, that a few books from now, Hannah still hasn’t chosen between Mike and Norman. I’ll just wait and see, and enjoy their interaction. I love the humor Hannah and Norman share, and Mike is just a chauvinist. So Hannah, make up your mind and pick Norman. Even Moishe prefers him.

Talking about Moishe, he starred in this book again. Being rented as a mouser, and later on he burglars Hannah’s stash of catfood! How about a clever cat!

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